Prince Harry and his wife Meghan have taken to the stage again at a World Mental Health Day festival in New York, hours after being named as Humanitarians of the Year.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex stepped out together at the event, run by Project Healthy Minds, where their Archewell Foundation is hosting three panels.
Prince Harry spoke out about the impact of the pandemic on mental health, describing how it brought a ‘surge in anxiety and depression’.
It comes after they received a standing ovation upon their arrival at the even earlier today, before being named as ‘Humanitarians of the Year’.
Meghan was praised as ‘a mother, wife, entrepreneur, and philanthropist’ as she received the award. Harry’s work with mental health companies and his controversial 2021 memoir Spare were listed among his achievements.
This afternoon, Prince Harry, 41, took to the stage to introduce the festival’s first session, ‘Thriving or Surviving: How Are Young People Doing in the Digital Age?’.
He was followed by his wife, 44, who is also about to speak at the event.
The Duke of Sussex spoke about the impact of the pandemic on global mental health, as well as hitting out at social media that he said is ‘designed to keep us scrawling at the expense of sleep and real human contact’.
He told attendees: ‘Today is more than just about conversation — it’s about community.’
Prince Harry and his wife Meghan have taken to the stage again at a World Mental Health Day festival in New York, hours after being named as Humanitarians of the Year
This afternoon, Prince Harry, 41, took to the stage to introduce the festival’s first session, ‘Thriving or Surviving: How Are Young People Doing in the Digital Age?’
‘The past five years have taught us painfully that crises rarely arrive in isolation. The global pandemic stripped away the ordinary scaffolding of life and brought a measurable surge in anxiety, depression and loss of connection.’
He added: ”Our digital world has fundamentally changed how we experience reality.
‘Young people exposed to relentless comparison, harassment, misinformation and an attention economy designed to keep us scrawling at the expense of sleep and real human contact.’
Introducing the second panel discussing children and their mental health, the Duchess of Sussex said they would discuss the most pressing questions families face in the modern age – ‘What’s happening to childhood and how and what do we do to allow our children to just be children.’
Highlighting the Archwell Foundation’s The Parents Network, which helps parents negatively affected by social media, she reflected on how families who had their worlds ‘absolutely shattered’ by online harms.
‘Parents who had lost children to social media driven suicide,’ she said. ‘Others who had lost so many of their children to struggles with depression, anxiety, self-harm all inflicted by online harms.’
Earlier, The Duchess of Sussex used her acceptance speech for the Humanitarian award to voice fears about Archie and Lilibet growing up in a digital age.
The couple were very tactile on the red carpet and speaking on stage as she accepted the award, Meghan said: ‘Our children, Archie and Lili, are just six and four years old. Luckily still too young for social media, but we know that day is coming.
‘Like so many parents, we think constantly about how to embrace technology’s benefits, while safeguarding against its dangers. That hopeful intention of separation is rapidly becoming impossible.’
Meghan was joined on stage by Harry, who also shared words of wisdom about the dangers of technological advancements.
He said: ‘This is a pivotal moment in our collective mission to protect children and support families in a digital age.’
Meghan Markle and Prince Harry were named ‘Humanitarians of the Year’ at a glitzy New York ceremony last night
Harry and Meghan are applauded as they go on to stage
Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, attend the Project Healthy Minds World Mental Health Day Gala at Spring Studios
Meghan and Prince Harry are seen together on the red carpet before being handed Humanitarian of the Year awards
Project Healthy Minds’ ‘Humanitarians of the Year’ award has only been won once before, last year. Jeff Yabuki and his wife Gail got the gong for their commitment to mental health work after Jeff’s brother took his own life in 2017.
During the gala, Harry and Meghan announced their organization The Parents’ Network would join forces with Parents Together, to give the initiative ‘broader reach and deeper impact as technology continued its rapid evolution.’
The duo said the move was ‘a natural evolution to enable the community to continue to grow and have more impact alongside the rapid rise of technology’.
‘We know that the challenges ahead are significant,’ they said, ‘but we also know that when parents come together, when communities unite, real change is possible.’
Project Healthy Minds founder and CEO Phillip Schermer spoke briefly about the couple’s work, telling the crowd: ‘It is a privilege to honor Prince Harry and Meghan, Duke and Duchess of Sussex, at our World Mental Health Day Gala this year.
‘Their leadership, generosity, and unwavering commitment to advancing mental health awareness have made a profound difference in the lives of so many.’
Meghan and Harry first publicly supported Project Healthy Minds at an event in Seattle in 2023.
The couple spoke at a panel discussion coordinated by their Archewell Foundation in New York City as part of a second annual mental health awareness festival.
Harry and Meghan called for modifications to addictive apps, claiming they can harm young people’s mental health.
The Sussexes have also promoted the Project Healthy Minds (PHM) on the Archewell website as they promoted World Mental Health Day.
Archewell’s public tax returns don’t suggest the charity has donated money to PHM – but they may have done so privately.
